The oars thumped against each other, crossed each other, and made all manner of confusion.
Some could not get into the water, and others could not get out; and Joseph's oar, which somehow or other came out too suddenly, while he was pulling hard upon it, caused him to pitch backward off his seat and tumble over into the bottom of the boat.
[Illustration: BAD ROWING.] "_Oars!_" said Marco, "OARS!" What Marco meant by _oars_ they did not know, so they paid no attention to the command, but some stopped rowing in despair, while others kept on, banging the blades of the oars against one another, and plashing the water, but produced no effect whatever in respect to propelling the boat.

In the mean time the air was filled with shouts of laughter and loud vociferations.
"_Oars!_" exclaimed Marco again, with the voice of a colonel at the head of his regiment.

"_Oars!_ Why don't you stop when I say _Oars_ ?" The boys began to stop, shouting to one another, "Stop!" "Stop!" In a few minutes all was still again.

The boys began to take their oars in and one of them rose and said, "Poh! this is all nonsense.

You can't do any thing with oars.